Ch 7.1-7.2 Flashcards
self concept
self idenntity
sum of individual’s knowledge and understanding of his or herself
how individual defines herself based on beliefs the person has about herself
how someone thinks about perceives or even evaluates themselves
to be self aware is to have a self concept
self conciousness
awareness of one’s self
self concept vs conciousness
concept includes physical, physiological and social attributes which can be influenced by one’s individual attitudes , habits, beliefs and ideas
self schemas
beliefs the person has about hersellf
two types of identity
personal
social
personal identity
one’s own sense of personal attriubutes
ex of personal identity
smart and funny
social identity
social definitions of who you are include race, religion, gender, occupation and such
ex of social identity
female, white student, doctor
different aspects of one’s identity
ADRESSING each letter diifferent characteristic age disability status religion ethnicity or race sexual orientation socioeconomic class indigenous background national origin gender
gender is a
socially constructed conecpt while sex is biologically determined
each aspect of one’s identity has a
dominant group as well a less dominant group in society
consistency with one’s self concept
old info consistent easy to remember
new info that consistent with schemas incorporated
inconsistent info more difficult
self reference effect
tendency to better remember info relevant to ourselves
adjusting self concepts
it is easier to externalize new info that opposes self concept by attributing it to a outside factor than it is to internalize the info and adjust one’s self concept
ex regarding hard to adjust self concept
attribution bad test scores to fatigue or unfair test for someone who considers themselves smart
positive and negative self concepts
+: people tend to act mre positively and optimistic perceptions of the world
-: people feel fallen short disatisfied and unhappy
Carl Rogers
founder of humanistic psychoogy perspective
unique approach to understanding personality and human relationships
According to rogers, personality is composed of
ideal self and real self
ideal self
constructed out of your life experiences, social expectations and the things you admire about role models
person you ought to be
real self
person you actually are
when ideal self and real self are
similar, you get a positive self concept
incongruity
the result of when the real self falls short of th ideal self since the ideal self is usually an impossible standard to meet
three powerful influences on indiviudual’s development of self concept
self efficacy, locus of control , self esteem
self efficacy
belief in one’s competence and effectiveness
how capablle we believe we are at doing things
performance and self efficacy
studies show that simply believing we can do something improves performance
can vary from task to task
people may have high self efficacy for math but low efficacy for basketball
locus of control
cna be external or internal
internal locus of control
beleive they are able to influence outcomes thru their own efforts and actions
external locus of control
perceive outcomes as controlled by extrnal forces
ex of internal vs external locus
someone with internal locus may attribute strong grade to his or her intelligence and hard work someone with external locus assumes the test was especially easy or he got lucky
extreme situation leading to helplessness
when people exposed to situations in which they have no control may learn not to act because they believe it will not affect the outcome
even once situation passes, find in arena where they can exert some control, the lack of action may persist
learned helplessness
a condition in which a person suffers from a sense of powerlessness, arising from a traumatic event or persistent failure to succeed. It is thought to be one of the underlying causes of depression
belief in internal locus
can be empowering and lead to proactivity
external locus belief
control and learned helplessness are characteristics of many depressed and oppressed people
self esteem
one’s overall self evaluation of one’s self worth
may be based on diff factors depending on the individuasla nd which parts of identiy he or she has determined to be most importat
self esteem related to self efficacy
self efficacy can improve self eseem if one has it for an activity one values, if activity not valued may not help self esteem
low self esteem increases
risk of anxiety, depresison, drug use and suicide
inflated self esteem
may be used to conceal inner insecurities
unrealistic self esteem
to either extreme can be painful
identity formation
aka individuation
development of distinct individual personality
Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial devlopment
include series of crises and conflicts experienced thru a lifetime that help to define and shape identity
Erikson: particular stage relevant to identity formation
takes place during adolescene ( 12-20) Identity veruss role confusion stage
in identity vs role confusion
adolescents try to figure out who they are and form basic identities that they build on thru the rest of their lies
some theories posit in order to establish identity
individual has to explore various possibilities and make committments to occupation, religion, sexual orientation and political values
Charles Cooley
proposed idea of looking glass self
people shape their self concepts based on their understanding of how others perceve them
looking glass self
person’s sense of self develops from interpersonal interactions with others in society and perceptions of others
begins at early age and continues thru life we can never stop modifying unless all social interactions increase
George Hubert MEad
developed the idea of social behaviorism
social behaviorism:
mind and self emerge thru process of communicating with others
beginning of symbolic interactionism
idea mind and self emerge thru social process of communication or use of symbols
Mead beleved there
is a specific path to development of self
During prepatory stage
children imitate others , have no concept of how others see things
play stage
children take on roles of others thru playing such as playing house and taking on role of mom
game stage
childrenlearn to consider multiple simultaneously and can understand the responsibilities of multiple roles
child develops understanding
of generalized other, common behavioral expectations of general society
MEad : me
how individual believes the generalized perceives it
defined as social self
self as object
MEad: I
response to the ke
response of the individual to the atttudes of others
self as subject
socialization
process thru which people learn to be proficient and functional members of society
lifelong sociological process where people learn attitudes, values and beliefs that are reinforced by a particular culture
older adults socialization
involves teaching younger generation their way of life
younger children socialization
predominantly involves incorporating info from their surrounding cultures as they form their personalities ( patterns for how they think and feel)
socialization and culture
socialization allows a culture to pass on its values from one generation to the next
occurs thru socializing interacting with others in society
importance of social contact
shown thru Harlow’s monkeys which were extremely deprived from infancy and were therefore unable to reintegrate with other monkeys
Feral children
individuals who were not raised with human contact or care and a large part of our understanding about the importance of socialization is derived from what has been learned about their experiences and terriple consequences of growing up without proper care and contact
norms
spoken or unspoken rules and expectations for the behavior of the society’s members
normative behavior
social behaviors which follow expectations and meet the ideal social standard
reinforced by sanctions
sanctions
rewards and punishments for behaviors that are in accord with or against norms
ex of normative behavior
in some cultures it is considered norm to offer your food to others when eating in a public place
norms can be classified as
formal
informal
formal norms
generally written down
precisely defined, publicly presented and often accompanied by strict penalties for those who violate them
ex of formal norms
laws
informal norms
generally understood but are less precise and often carry no specific punishment
ex of informal norms
one is greeting an interviewer witha hand shake
Mores
norms that are highly important for benefit of society and are often strictly enforced
ex Mores
animal abuse and treasons are actions that break mores in US and carry harsh penalties
FOlkways
norms that are less important but shape everyday behavior
ex folkways
styles of dress, ways of greeting
strong relationship between
formal norms and mores
informal norms and folkways but not complete
lack of strong enforcement for a formal norm suggests that it is not that important and is a folkway
taboo
behaviors that customs forbid
endorsement of norm is so strong that violation is considered forbidden and oftentimes punishable thru formal or non formal methods
taboo behavors result
in disgust towards violator
often moral or religious component to taboo and violation poses threat of divine puenalties
ex taboo
muslims denounce the consumption of pork thus in muslim countries eating such products would be taboo
anomie
concept that descrbes social condition in which individuals are not provided with firm guidelines in relation to norms and values and there is minimal moral guidance or social ethic
state of normlessnness
normative effects of social values contribute
to social cohesion and social norms are involved in maintaining order
Emile Durkeheim
used anomie to explain differences in suicide rates between catholics and protestants ]research suggested suicide rates were lower in cultures which valued communal ties, as this provided a form of support duirng times of emotional distress
Anomie is characteristic
of societies where social coesion is less pronounced
more likely to occur in societies where individualism and autonomous decision making predominate even at the expense of the greater social order
anomie suggests
disintegration of social bonds between individuals and their communities, which causes the fragmentation of social identities in exchange for emphasis on personal sucess
discrepancies between
personal and social values are thought to contribute to moral deregulation
non normative behavior
viewed as incorrect because it challenges shared values and institutions thus threatening social structure and cohesion
seen as abnormal and discouraged
deviance
actions which violate dominant social norms, whether formal or informal
in some cases these behaviors are seen as criminal when it violates public policies
ex of construction of deviance
process of creating deviant labels affirms and reinforces social norms and values thru dichotomous presntation of acceptable normative behavior and unacceptable non normative behavor
diff between normal and deviant behavior
is maintained thru punishment of trangressions thru both formal and informal methods such as a means of criminal justice and unofficial social processes
deviance is
social construct
no behaviors in which deviance is inherent, situational and contextual
non normative behavior is considered
acceptable in some cases such as warfare and self defense and unacceptable in other cases
important to consider the differences in cross cultural commuication and cultural meanings of behaviors in assessing appropiatness
deviance in context of health care
individuals experiencing illness are considered deviant because condition violates conforming behavior and threatens social cohesion thru limiting the individual\s social contributions
according to functionalist perspective
Edwin Sutherland’s differential association
argues that deviance is a learned behavior resulting from interactions between individuals and their communities
process of learning deviance Sutherland
involves learning the techniques of deviant behaviors as well as the motives and values that rationlaize these behvaviors and is no different than other learning processes
principal source of exposure
individual’s closest personal groups whether formal groups such as professional business associates or informal groups such as gangs
individualès personal groups determine
specific behaviors learned ( ex corporate organized crime such as fraud, insider trading or tax evasion vs gang related offenses such as vandalism or violence
when individual participates in communities which condone
deviant behaviors, it becomes easier for the individual to learn these behaviors and become deviant themselves
extent of learning deviant behaviors
dependent on certain features such as the intensity and frequency of the interactions
in social situations it is inevitable that individuals will encounter others with
both favourable and unfavourable views of deviance
sutherlat posits individual will become deviants with their contacts with favourable attitudes towards deviance outweighs their contacts with unfavourable attitudes
development of self concept 2 parts
existential self
categorical self
existential self
most basic part of self concept
a sense of being separate and distinct from others
We are each separate and distinct entities or objects from others, from other objects, from other people
existential self is understanding and having awareness that the self is constant. So it doesn’t change in life; it’s pretty constant throughout life
self-concept
consistent or constant
categorical self
omes once this baby realizes that they are separate. So it’s becoming aware that even though we’re separate and distinct objects or entities or beings, we also exist in the world. We exist with other objects and beings and entities, in that, each of these objects has properties.
two of the first categories that young children categorize themselves
age and gender
in early childhood, these categories that children apply
themselves to are very concrete.
eventually as they grow older, as we grow older, we start to categorize ourselves by including some
more internal psychological traits
we start to compare ourselves. We start to make evaluations with other people. We start to categorize ourselves maybe by our careers or by the type of person that we want to be. So these are more developed categories
Carl Rogers believed that the self-concept had three different components
self image
self esteem
ideal self
Self-image
the view we have of ourselves. So there we are. It’s what we believe we are.
self-esteem
How much value do we place on ourselves, and I’m going to put a little heart here to kind of represent that, so how much love do we give ourselves, how much do we love ourselves? How much value do we place on ourselves?
ideal self.
what we wish to be. What we aspire to be
Social Identity theory has two parts
personal identity
social identity
personal identity
pretty self-explanatory, so this is the things that are unique to each person, like personality traits
social identity
these include the groups you belong to in our community.
mental process involved in social identity theory involves three steps
first, all humans categorize themselves
second step is identification
final step is social comparison
categorizing themselves
We all categorize our, ourselves without even knowing it. We actually do this entire amount of mental process
we categorize ourselves in order to understand objects and identify them. So we categorized people into groups
Ones to which we belong and ones that are different from us
not all people belong in one category, we can belong to multiple different categories
identification
this is when we adopt the identity of the group we have categorized ourselves as to belonging
emotional significance to identification, because our self-esteem, which we talked about up here, starts to become bound with this group identification and sense of belonging
ex of identification
f we’ve categorized our yourselves as students, the chances are we’re gonna eventually adopt the identity of a student. We’re gonna start acting like a student and behaving like a student. So this role starts to feel like a norm. We’re starting to conform to the norm of the group, the category we belong to
emotional comparison
We’re always comparing ourselves to others, all the time, subconsciously, consciously whatever it is. So once we categorize and identify, we’re going to eventually start comparing ourselves with other groups. We’re comparing other groups with other groups. And the reason we do this is to maintain our self-esteem. We want to compare ourselves to other groups in a favorable way. And this whole idea is actually very critical in understanding prejudice.
criticism of differential association
idea that individuals are reduced to their environments; instead of considering perople as independent, rational actors with personal motivations, his perspective suggests that deviant behavior is learned from oneès enviroment without choice
fails to consider individual characteristics and experiences and how these considerations affect a personès reaction to deviant influences in current surroundings
Howard Becker labeling theory
deviance is a result of societyès response to person rather than something inherent in the personès actions; behaviors become deviant thru social processes
one of the most important theories for understanding from a social perspective
assumption of becker labeling theory
act itself is not deviant for intrinsic moral reasons
use of negative labels becker
can have serious consequences for both our perception of the deviant person and the personès self perception
self fulfilling prophecies
because of societal preoccupation with labels, individual might begin to exhibit more deviant behaviors to fulfill the expectations associated with specific ascribed labels in the form of conforming behavior
negative labels effect on individuals
ind.ls might internalize labels and redefine their concept of self, which can lead to self fulfilling prophecies
since deviance is a social construct
there is no absolute set of characteristics that are viewed as deviant, instead deviance is contextual
across same social context , there are often double standards
same behavior may be viewed as acceptable in one group and unacceptable in another
labelling theory is often used in
interactionist arguments
because deviance is viewed as a social construct
labelling usually occurs
from the dominant groups majorities labelling subordinate groups minorities
also concerns conflict theorists those with most power impose labels on those with least power
social structures and dominant groups
social structures allow dominant groups the power to enforce the boundaries of normal behavior and thus define the differences thru legal policies
agents of social control
groups which have the ability to attach stigmas to certain behaviors
creation of stigmas
reinforces power structures and heirarchies inherent in most societies and serves to limit deiiant behavior
labelling also satisfies social need to control behaviors and maintain order
criticism of labelling theory
deviance is assumed to be an automatic rocess: individuals are seen to be influenced thru use of labels which ignores their abilities to resist social expectations
Robert MErton structural strain theory
perspective purports that deviance is result of experienced strain, either individual or structural
modern societies have shared perceptions of ideal life ( social goals) and accepted means of achieving goals
Mertonès specifications
expanded off of Durkheiès research
specified anomie as the state in which there is a mismatch between common social goals and structural or instructionalized means of obtaining these goals
in this state individuals experience social strain because existing social structures are inadeuate and there is pressure to use devian methods to prevent failure
when social means and goals are balanced, deviance is not expected
ex of Mertonès structural strain theory
economic success is common goal for most individuals and societies and legitimate means for obtaining this goal include continued education and professional positions that compensate well However in US it is known there is not equal access to resources among social groups individuals born into lower class families have less financial resources available to obtain an education result is structtural strain which leadss to deviance include using deviant methods of reaching economic success
criticism of stuctural strain theory
some deviant behaviors and criminal behaviors persist in excess that are non utilitarian
Merton perspective applicable to fraud and theft and in cases where economic structure is not serving individuals as best as possible means of earning not best option for goal of obtaining financial assets
less applicable to deviant behaviors that are malicious and violent in natures such as forms of sexual assault
perspective is more applicable to material , rather than social , goals
collective behavior
third form of social behavior in addition to normative or conforming behaviors and non normative or deviant behaviors
social norms for the situation are absent or unclear
describes actions of people operating as a collective group
relatively spontaneous and relatively unstructured behavior by large numbers of individuals acting with or being influenced by other individuals
collective vs group behavior
collect: more short lived and less conventional values influence groupès behavior and guidelines for membership
Relatively spontaneous
means that the behavior is somewhat spontaneous but also somewhat planned
relatively unstructured
means that the behavior is somewhat organized and predictable but also somewhat unorganized and unpredictable
ex of collective and group behaviro
ex of coll behavior, do not reflect existing social structure unlike group behavior but are instead spontaneous situations in which individuals engage in actions that are otherwise unacceptable and violate social norms
in collective behavior
there is loss of individual and independent moral judgment in exchange for the sense of a group
can be destructive in the example of mobs and riots
harmless such as in fads depending on diverse episode
importance of understanding collective behavior
limits negative consequences
